Bristol's Mayor George Ferguson reveals his vision for the city18 November 2013A packed audience will hear Bristol’s Mayor George Ferguson reflect on his historic first year in office tonight [18 November], when the University of Bristol hosts a keynote speech outlining his vision for the city.
New GW4 studentships boost postgraduate training18 November 2013The GW4 Alliance has reinforced its commitment to postgraduate research training by committing 50 additional studentships to a major five-year Doctoral Training Partnership award.
Manipulation of protein could help stop spread of cancer cells18 November 2013Understanding how and why cancer cells move away from their original location is important to find ways to stop the spread of the disease. New findings, published in the Nature journal Oncogene, reveal how a protein, called ‘PRH’, is normally able to prevent cells from unnecessary migration. It is likely that this protein is less effective in cancer cells allowing the cells to venture away.
Medical student wins poster presentation at international meningitis conference18 November 2013Tomos Edwards, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Bristol, was awarded first prize for his poster presentation on ‘The Orthopaedic Sequelae of Childhood Meningococcal Septicaemia’ at the recent Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) conference ‘Meningitis and Septicaemia in Children and Adults 2013’.
Bristol spearheads UK’s role in €4million synthetic biology project15 November 2013The University of Bristol has been awarded a share of a €4million (£3.3million) European Union grant to improve public awareness of synthetic biology - an emerging field of science and technology which has huge potential for producing new fuels, materials and medicines in the future.
£1.1M for study into how ‘acetylcholine’ influences brain network activity15 November 2013A £1.1 million grant to understand how one of the brain’s key neurotransmitters called ‘acetylcholine’ influences brain activity has been awarded to University of Bristol researchers. The Wellcome Trust award will help scientists understand more precisely how the release of acetylcholine is changing brain cell activity to influence memory and cognition.
New outdoor drone will aid disaster response monitoring of radiation15 November 2013University of Bristol researchers have unveiled a large semi-autonomous drone called the ARM system which could be used to provide visual and thermal monitoring of radiation after a release of nuclear material.
Going for green: top award for University’s environmental efforts14 November 2013The University of Bristol has won a Green Gown Award for its environmental efforts – its second accolade in just a week - and will now compete at an international level. Bristol’s Sustainability team collected the ‘Continual Improvement: Institutional Change’ gong for its achievements over the past five years.
Ocean acidification 'may increase by 170 per cent' by end of 21st century14 November 2013The acidity of the world’s ocean may increase by around 170 per cent by the end of the century bringing significant economic losses, according to a major new international report. People who rely on the ocean’s ecosystem services – often in developing countries – are especially vulnerable.
Students raise thousands by hitchhiking over halfway across the world13 November 2013Over 90 intrepid students from the University of Bristol spent the weekend dashing across England, Scotland and Europe in a bid to get as far from Bristol as possible in the hugely popular Jailbreak charity challenge.
RISE 2013: Inspiring passion about social enterprise13 November 2013Hot on the heels of Bristol being named one of the UK’s first Social Enterprise Cities, students at the University of Bristol are organising one of the largest student-led social enterprise conferences of its kind.
Build your own robot at a free ‘Digimakers’ workshop13 November 2013With the UK facing a national skills shortage in electrical and electronic engineering and computer science, members of the public have the opportunity to learn more about these areas and have fun at the same time at a free event this Saturday [November 16].
Oluwasomidotun Idowu wins Elizabeth Blackwell intercalation prize13 November 2013Oluwasomidotun Idowu (Somi) at the University of Bristol has won the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for the most outstanding research project submitted by an intercalating medical student during 2012-13.
UK's first research into the effect of exercise on children with congenital heart disease13 November 2013Toshiba Medical Systems Partners have announced a three-year research partnership with the University of Bristol and the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust‘s Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRICBristol). The first research study will be to investigate the effects of exercise on children with congenital heart disease.
The impact of growing up in poverty on children’s brain development11 November 2013In the UK, 1.6 million children live in severe poverty, but what are the effects of this on the brain’s development? Professor Sebastian Lipina, an expert in the field of poverty and neuroscience, will discuss how the neurocognitive function of a child’s brain is influenced by socioeconomic disadvantage and how this impacts on their long-term achievement at a talk [14 Nov] hosted by the University of Bristol.
Student clean-up campaign scoops top national award8 November 2013A hugely successful end-of-term campaign to collect students’ unwanted items and donate them to charity has won a prestigious ‘Community Champion of the Year Award’ in recognition of its environmental impact. The ‘Big GIVE’ initiative, which collected nine tonnes of goods and raised £16,000 for local charities this year, was praised at the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM) Awards for Environmental Excellence.
Bristol-led research alliance awarded NERC funding7 November 2013The GW4+ alliance, a consortium of excellence in innovative research training led by the University of Bristol, has been awarded funding by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for doctoral training.
Rare photographs of famous faces from British theatre go on display at the University of Bristol7 November 2013World-renowned photographer Angus McBean took photographic portraits of some of the most famous faces in twentieth century British theatre. A fine selection of these goes on display at Royal Fort House next week as part of InsideArts, the University of Bristol's festival of the arts and humanities.
Bristol research trio to experience ‘life on Mars’7 November 2013The future of space exploration will be placed in the hands of three engineers and scientists from the University of Bristol when they embark on a special expedition to experience life on Mars. Aerospace engineering PhD student Ashley Dale is leading the six-strong team, who were selected to spend two weeks at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in the high-altitude Utah desert - one of the most Mars-like environments on Earth.
Management and university performance: good practices have a big impact on research and teaching outcomes7 November 2013There are big differences in management practices in UK universities, notably in how well they manage the recruitment, retention and promotion of staff. This has a significant impact on outcomes: better-managed departments have better performance in terms of both research quality and student satisfaction. These are the findings from a new University of Bristol study.
Nanoscale ‘tsunami’ helps locusts tune in6 November 2013The remarkable mechanism by which the tiny ears of locusts can hear and distinguish between different tones has been discovered by researchers from the University of Bristol. Understanding how the nanoscale features of the insect eardrum mechanically process sound could open up practical possibilities for the fabrication of embedded signal processing in extremely small microphones.
Creatures of influence6 November 2013An international research team from the University of Bristol, the Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems and the US Geological Survey have developed mathematical tools that can estimate which species are most influential in a food web.
Mathematical equation could reduce traffic jams5 November 2013New research led by the University of Bristol has found traffic jams and accidents could be reduced by controlling the reaction times of robotic cars.
Researchers to test whether texting and technology can improve pupils’ exam results5 November 2013Bristol researchers have been awarded grants for three projects as part of a £3.5 million funding round to test whether the use of technology in schools such as using iPads, texting parents and online preparation for lessons can help less advantaged pupils achieve better results.
Lifetime achievement award for Emeritus Professor’s work in tackling domestic violence4 November 2013A University of Bristol Professor has been awarded a prestigious ‘lifetime achievement’ award for her work in tackling violence against women. Gill Hague, Emeritus Professor of Violence Against Women Studies in the University’s School for Policy Studies, has been awarded a ‘Special’ award from the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize (EHMP) to recognise her life's work in combating violence against women.
Out-of-this-world opportunity for space ‘cadet’ Jocelino4 November 2013A University of Bristol student has beaten off competition from 87,000 people to reach the final of a worldwide competition to travel into space. Jocelino Rodrigues, 19, is one of four UK finalists who will fly to Florida next month for astronaut training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre.
Bristol researchers work to secure next generation chip-card payment technology4 November 2013Current chip technology used for purchasing items via credit and debit cards in shops was developed in the mid-1990s. EMVCo, the standard body which manages, maintains and advances EMV Specifications, is in the process of designing the next generation payment technology to meet long-term industry requirements. The activity will establish a common, robust technology platform for supporting contact and contactless/mobile interfaces for both online and offline transactions.
Changes in Coroners’ practice may be compromising quality of suicide statistics31 October 2013Assessment of official suicide statistics found that between 1990 and 2005, the proportion of researcher-defined suicides given a verdict of suicide by the 12 coroners studied decreased by almost seven per cent, largely because of the increased use of misadventure/accident verdicts for deaths thought, on clinical review, to be suicides. Growth in the use of narrative verdicts by coroners may also have compromised assessment of small area differences in suicide rates. This is just one of the key findings from a report, published in the first issue of the new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) journal Programme Grants for Applied Research, aimed at reducing premature mortality from suicide and non-fatal self-harm.
80 per cent of baby boomers 'satisfied with their financial situation', study finds31 October 2013More than 80 per cent of Britons aged 50 and over are satisfied with the financial situation of their household, according to research by the University of Bristol's Personal Finance Research Centre and the International Longevity Centre-UK which looked at levels of financial satisfaction in 56 countries over six continents.
How to keep data secure in a cyber world30 October 2013Cyber security experts from the University of Bristol have advised the European Union's Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) on how to protect the personal data of millions of citizens.
Professor John Kent, 1923 - 201330 October 2013John Kent, Emeritus Professor of Theology at the University of Bristol, died on 2 October 2013. Former colleague Dr Sean Gill offers a tribute.
Arts and social sciences in the spotlight for University's Festival Fortnight30 October 2013Come and share the best of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences at the University of Bristol this November when the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law and the Faculty of Arts open their doors for Festival Fortnight, from Saturday 2 November.
